La Bella Acoustic 12 String Guitar Silk & Steel Light, .010 - .051, 710-12L5Kirk ClarkSeptember 12, 2010I have a 45 year old Guild 12 string and I wouldn't use anything else. The sound is perfectly balanced-no boomy lows. Soft to the touch and sounds like a harpsichord. An old luthier once told me to use nothing else on my guitar and since then I never have.

NOTE

DESCRIPTION

DIAMETER INCHES

TENSION LBS

1st D

Plain Steel

.010

2nd D

Plain Steel

.010

3rd B

Plain Steel

.012

4th B

Plain Steel

.012

5th G

Silk & Steel

.023

6th G

Plain Steel

.009

7th D

Silk & Steel

.031

8th D

Plain Steel

.012

9th G

Silk & Steel

.041

10th G

Plain Steel

.016

11th D

Silk & Steel

.051

12th D

Silk & Steel

.025

La Bella Acoustic Steel String

"LaBella's acoustic guitar sets are comprised of perfectly balanced strings and are available in a choice of many different gauges. Accommodating today's acoustic players and their instruments, these varied set designs present many options for stringing. Only the finest American-made materials are used -- high quality plain steel and superior bronze alloys. Handcrafted by skilled technicians, LaBella guarantees every string that leaves the factory.

Over the centuries, the problem of prolonging the life of metal strings has plagued both players and string makers. Today, some manufacturers have discovered a quick fix method to prevent oxidation from occuring. They coat the metal strings with a polymer or synthetic material. This process stifles the wound string's sound production and does not guarantee a longer life. Any surface treatment deadens the natural transmitting powers of the string and dampens the high overtones associated with a good wound acoustic guitar string.

12-String Guitar

In the Twenties and Thirties, the 12-string guitar was popular with Delta Blues players especially "Leadbelly". Today, both folk singers and Hawaiian "slack-key" guitarists prefer this double string instrument."